Help available for essential tremor

Dr. Paul DonohueSyndicated Columnist

Published Wednesday, July 09, 2008

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My mother's left hand began to shake uncontrollably, as did her left leg. She was diagnosed with essential tremor and was told nothing could help. Now her right hand shakes worse than her left. She cannot feed herself. Can you suggest anything? -- D.W.

ANSWER: I strongly suggest your mother get a second opinion, and preferably from a neurologist.

Essential tremor is one of the most common kinds of tremor and affects 5 to 10 million Americans. It's also called familial tremor, because it often runs in families.The tremor varies from one that is barely noticeable to one that is incapacitating, like your mother's.

Much can be done. Medicines such as propranolol (Inderal) and primidone (Mysoline) often can control the shaking, and there are others. Botox can be injected to abolish the tremor and is valuable when vocal cords are part of the picture.

In severe tremors unresponsive to medicines, deep-brain stimulation involves implanting wires in the part of the brain that controls movement and hooking the wires to batteries in a device that looks like a pacemaker. Electric signals directed to those brain areas can eliminate the tremors.

Call the International Essential Tremor Foundation at (888) 387-3667, or visit www.essentialtremor.org.